You know who is more self-contrasting than anybody else in webcomickry? Josh Lesnick. On the one hand, he works mightily to keep the adult side of webcomics economically viable for creators (perhaps putting so much effort to the advantage of his associates that he neglects the success of his own works), struggling against things PayPal and credit-card processing policies that shy away from anything even vaguely hinting at naughty bits.

On the other hand, his loose, scribbly style is made for the absolutely cutest, most innocence-projecting images possible, without quite slipping over the line into diabetes-inducing treacle. Good samples of both sides of Lesnick’s work can be seen at Pink Snow Bunny [sometimes NSFW, but so very cute; also: moustaches].

And now, the full cute potential has been unleashed in tribute to his fellow creators. Ladies and gentlemen: Josh Lesnick presents Webcomic Pony Party. It’s mare-velous.¹

• It took me eight “turns” to get through the latest Dresden Codak, with a couple of free rolls thrown in for good measure. I’m only now realizing that Latin Heart-throb Aaron Diaz may have meant me to use something other than a six-sided die. I’m pretty sure I have some other geometric solids around here somewhere.
• One of the better webcomics to hit in the past year has been Odori Park; while it doesn’t feature axes or the cops that love them, it conveys a pretty strong sense of creator Chris Watkins’ life and experiences … heart, if you will. With a first anniversary coming up, Watkins has a call for guest strips out. Anybody interested, deadline is Monday.
• Almost missed it: Weregeek‘s second book is up for pre-order until tomorrow, and if you’re going to be at EmCity, creator Alina Pete will be there with copies in hand. Lots of other creators there too, with lots of new and con-specific goodies. Those in the great Pacific Northwest, let us know how it goes.

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¹ I’m so, so sorry.

ROFLCon II (30 April & 1 May, at MIT; that’s my anniversary weekend, so I think I’m gonna have to miss it) now has an official shirt. Oh, but it is glorious. Obviously the work of the very sexy R Stevens, riffing on Antonia Neshev’s now-ubiquitous design, and printed by the same design shop that did the original, so no concerns about anybody ripping off anybody. Hooray!

• As I mentioned back in the autumn of last year, xkcd volume 0 was chock-full of puzzles that I intended to let other people solve. And solve them they have, at long last.

  As I suspected at the time, the puzzles scattered throughout the book were smaller components of a larger puzzle, and the final pieces were put together yesterday by xkcd forum member aspragg, who announced the solution to the meta-puzzle (needless to say, spoilers ahoy). Word of the solution will no doubt spread like wildfire, but if you don’t want to know, don’t read the footnote.¹

  In the meantime, it’s still up in the air whether the Dinosaur Comics cipher from last week will take as long or longer to solve.

• In other news, looks like James Kochalka will have his videogame. The Kickstarter campaign for Glorkian Warrior has reached its goal with 13 days to go; in Kochalka’s words, Any pledges beyond our goal will help make the game even better!, so if you were planning on kicking in a couple bucks, you still have time.

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¹ Solution proposed: (more…)

For those that enjoyed the Jess Fink covers yesterday, we’ve got more eyecandy for you today (this time from Hurricane Erika), along with some process porn. Is it weird that I, who creates no visual art, cannot get enough of this image-building? Anyway, it all builds up to a tentacle-rich conclusion, and should be available in time for TCAF.

• Okay, not exactly webcomics, but I’ma go with it anyway. Andrew Farago, the oft-mentioned on this page curator of the Cartoon Arts Museum and champion of [web]comics in general, wants to raise some money for the museum and is willing to put his pride on the line to do so:
  

  In honor of the Cartoon Art Museum’s current exhibition, Batman: Yesterday and Tomorrow, CAM Curator Andrew Farago is turning back the clock to 1989. Or, to be more specific, he’s turning his head back to 1989. If the Cartoon Art Museum receives $5,000 in donations between now and the evening of April 2, Farago will shave the famed Bat-Symbol into his hair at the Museum’s annual WonderCon weekend fundraising party, just as many Bat-Fans did in the months leading up to the release of Warner Bros.’ 1989 Batman film.

  “My mother thought it was a bad idea 21 years ago, and I’m sure she’d still think it’s a bad idea today. I’ve had plenty of bad haircuts before, but this is the first one I’ll be getting for a good cause,” said Farago.

  Not mentioned in the press release is the reaction of Farago’s wife, who will likely find the prospect of a Bat-Head husband to be either irredeemably stupid or rad beyond all measuring; I’m betting on the latter, actually. Donations can be made through CAM’s website, Facebook pages, tinyurl, or by mail to the Cartoon Art Museum at 655 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 (please indicate “Bat-haircut” in the subject line, and don’t forget to deduct it from next year’s taxes).

• So we’re less than a month until the Jesus Pad completely changes comics (both print and web varieties) or doesn’t. In the meantime, I have to believe that those that might be most impacted are publishers currently trying to distribute for-pay material electronically, but not going through any of the mega storefronts to do so.

  Case in point: iPulpFiction.com, distributing some fairly big name authors, at really low price points, what appears to be be online-only material. At least, their new graphic novel, The Cobweb Dective Club is described specifically as “an online graphic novel”, and I can’t find any references to eventual dead-tree versions (while they’re advertising the iPad as a viewing platform, near as I can tell, they maintain their own payment system).

  General question for all of you early adopters — if you buy an iPad and oh look, no iPhone tethering to avoid having to purchase a second data plan — are you likely to then also pay to third parties, or will the ongoing costs drive you more toward free content? I’m trying to get a sense of what you’re willing to purchase.

• Quick reminder: Danielle Corsetto signing in Dallas tomorrow; details here.

Let’s just right to it, shall we?

• Jess Fink gave us a treat on Saturday: the covers for her two forthcoming (i.e.: this summer) books from Top Shelf: We Can Fix It (a memoir of Fink’s time-travel exploits) and Chester 5000 XYV (hot, hot Victorian robo-erotica) (warning: contains wang, both organic and robotic). I love both of those pieces, but the Chester cover just might be my new favorite thing ever. How Fink can do something so sexily charged and yet balance against a certain demureness, I’ll never know.
• There’s a couple of major centers for cartooning scholarship in this country: SVA, of course, CCS and SCAD are fast establishing themselves, and CAM is the public face. But for good old-fashioned throw yourself into the collection stacks archivery, you really have to go with Ohio State University’s Bily Ireland Cartoon Libary & Museum, which is undoutedly the premier collection of comics in the country, with maybe only the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée to rival the depth and breadth of its collection. The entire stack of original BONE pages is just one of the treasures that OSU has.

  Every three years, they have a festival and academic conference on cartooning; the tenth one will be in October, and there’s some interesting names on the presenter list: Matt Groening, Roz Chast (the best and most prolific New Yorker cartoonist since Charles Addams), Gene Yang, and some guy named Kellett. Kellett’s particularly an interesting choice because he plans to speak in response to a speech at the same event 21 years ago by some guy named Watterson. As Kellett puts it:

  At the 1989 Festival, Watterson spoke of the incredible potency in comic strip cartooning: This rarest of arts that let one artist, one voice, speak to millions. This artform that lets the personal outlook shine through, where so many other mass media arts do so by committee.

  I want to speak to his concerns about the space allotted comic strips in newspapers; about zombie comic strips still being drawn long after their original creator had died; about why so many features have stale, interchangeable voices; or why so many are merely advertisements for dolls and greeting cards; or why comic strips in general have been on this slow, downward trend of diminishment in American life for the past 20-30 years

  Because basically, I’m going to talk about this incredible change of fortune for the comic strip. I’m going to talk about Webcomics.

  Note to self: see if the limited seating at the festival includes press access or not.

• The hottest writer in webcomics is now six: Happy Birthday to Malachai Nicolle.
• The donation drive to benefit Cheyenne Wright is underway here. From Phil Foglio:
  

  Originally it was feared that he had congestive heart failure, which was surprising, as he is in his thirties and a quasi-vegetarian. It has since been disclosed that there is a fucking virus (Coxsackie B virus) that can cause it, and you don’t even have to eat 2 pounds of bacon every day. He is doing better, but can only taste lemons, and is under the illusion that he has a pet squid named ‘Renaldo’. We ascribe this to dosage issues with his medication.

  That’s just what Foglio wants you to think, as I happen to know that he’s prejudiced against squid. All kidding aside, Phil & Kaja Foglio, and everybody that works with them, are stellar people and if you have a few bucks to spare, there are far worse things you could spend it on. How much food and shelter do you need anyway?

• Finally, from Danielle Corsetto, jet-setter extraordinaire, news that the new, previously-unnamed New Jersey comics show now has a name, and a date, and a guest list! Wild Pig Comics II presents Wild Pig Comic-Con, May 15 & 16, in Springfield, New Jersey, complete with Ms Corsetto, her partner in infamy, Randy Milholland, David “I did exclamations before Malki” Willis, a stack of other web- and print-comickers, and the latest iteration of Super Art Fight. Total cost to you for all this? FIVE BUCKS. Seriously.

Everybody’s gearing up for Emerald City Comicon, with a more-than-healthy contingent of webcomickers slated to be in attendance. Alice Bentley has done her usual bang-up job compiling a list of said reprobates, with the TopatoCo crüe providing a handy-dandy map of where to find their associated creators.

Speaking of TopatoCo, they’ll be sponsoring a special Live ! performance of Tweet Me Harder ! starring Kris Straub and David Malki ! at the night-before pre-party. Judging from the Dr McNinja book release party in San Diego last summer, TopatoCo know how to throw a serious party.

• Wired weighs in on the nature of webcomics (haven’t found a link at their site, so enjoy a photo instead). Not sure that I get the claim that Octopus Pie tends towards esotericism and Achewood towards accessibility, but what the heck. Jump in and start quibbling.
• Webcomic book review reviews book of webcomic. Recursive film at eleven.
• I need a ruling on awesomitude. Is this more or less awesome than this? Both feature doctors with blades on motorcyles, although one does also feature helicopters, which are known to be severely awesome. Show your work and give examples.
• The second part of the guide to effective Ustreaming (brought to you via the efforts of Rob Tracy, driving force at Webcomics Community, and rumored backup Thunderbird pilot) is now available. All who wish to broadcast their arting, have a gander here.

Know what sucks? Getting caught up at work after being sick and letting things slack for a day or two, on top of feeling like I spread my sickness to half my co-workers. Actually, a few of them have probably spread past sicknesses to me, so I guess it all works out in the end. Let’s get caught up together.

• Remember K-9Lives, the short film née webcomic? Got some news on that front from creator Doug Wilson:
  

  K-9Lives: Episode2 has recently been released online to co-inside with the second book collection from the series entitled K-9Lives: Clue Clucks Clan. [Editorial aside: Ooog, not so sure about that title, Doug]

  This second animated episode of the adventures of a dog/cat conjoined odd couple follows the success of the first which played at festivals such as the Marbella International Film Festival where it was awarded runner up for best animation. Douglas will be attending Bristol Small Press Expo in May, and all items are available online through his website.

  [Wilson] is also writing and drawing a graphic novel, The Von Spleen Experiment.

• Mixed media, indeed: Franklin Einspruch travels the country, and does a webcomic about the experience in the form of the poetic, verging on infinite canvas paintings known as The Moon Fell On Me. Oftentimes they’re about the journey (example: the prettiest anybody’s ever made the New Jersey Turnpike at I-70), and oftentimes it’s about food and/or foodstuffs. That was good enough for Public Radio Kitchen (an online space for public radio fans with a food passion, via WBUR in Boston) to have a chat with him on the subject of food and art. Neat stuff.
• I’m assuming at this point, you all know about Anthony Clark, aka Nedroid, right? Colorist of Dr McNinja, creator of Beartato and Reginald, painter of robots and dinosaurs? He also does some awesome collaborations with Emmy Cicierega (usually on LiveJournal under the nom de plume of Laserpony Studios), and it’s Emmy I wanted to point you to. She’s doing awesome retro art of a lady named Doris, and you need to check them out. Doris: prim and proper, and aware of what the haps are. Somebody pay this woman many dollars to keep creating this stuff.

This cold has taken up residence in my brain and I’m exhausted. You get links, I get today wrapped up as quick as possible and go home to sleep.

• Launch party for Box Brown‘s Everything Dies — Friday, 6:00 to 9:00pm in Philadelphia.
• Lengthy Scott McCloud interview/profile/discussion. Good stuff there.
• Wes Molebash‘s entire run of his new strip, Max vs Max, on display in Chillicothe, Ohio for the month of March. Get your coffee while you read the comics.
• Dave Kellett Gloria Calderón Kellett in the Israeli equivalent of The Economist on their two-artists-in-the-family bargain. Original comic strip for the story here (if you read Hebrew), and English version here.
• Almost time for DayQuil. I thought you’d want to know.

For those that didn’t see Tim Tylor’s comment in yesterday’s post, there’s an arguably happy ending to the Hot Topic/Kawaii Not dust-up:

About Hot Topic: All Kawaii Not merchandise there is OFFICIAL – and is good news for me and Kawaii Not. Turns out there was a miscommunication issue between me and my licensing company, but that has all been settled. So the bottom line? If you buy Kawaii Not at Hot Topic, you support me and the craziness! Hooray!

Yay for Megan Murphy; I still say that Hot Topic needs to clean its procurement process the hell up.

• It’s specifically for days like this that I don’t require people who make things I like (or people I know personally, for that matter) to get along with each other — I can like them separately just fine. If Gabe & Tycho’s take is that Jesse Thorn is likely a serial killer, I can live with that. Heck, Rene Engström can’t stand Radio Lab (although I don’t think she’d accuse Jad & Robert of having heads in their fridge). I can be the one guy that likes webcomics and public radio, that’s cool. In fairness, Jesse’s take on the PA situation is here.
• Overdue public thanks: the fine people (mostly, Gina Gagliano) at :01 have put me on their review copies distribution list, and I am being presented with more fine graphic novels than I can keep up with. Recurring themes: plucky teen girls, World War II, awesome cover designs by Colleen AF Venable, and a number of webcomics-related artists doing fantastic work. Proper reviews to be worked up.
• Know what just turned five years old? The Daily Grind Ironman Challenge; five years on, and seven webcomickers are still in the running for more than a thousand bucks. Literal updating machines have been out of the running for more than four years, and the last challenger to fall by the wayside did so more than ten months ago. How long can they last? How long can this madness continue?
• As long as we’re acknowledging longevity, congrats to David Malki ! on 600 installments of Wondermark, with one of those optical illusion deals that never works for me. DAMMIT.

Neatest thing I came across over the weekend: a collection of various [web]comickers, what they actually look like, and how they draw themselves. There are a couple of notable absences, particularly my favorite — the always-jolly Jon Rosenberg and his somewhat angry avatar. Then again, you get the likes of Rene Engström, Hurricane Erika, James Kochalka, and Meredith Gran. The best real-person likenesses ever aren’t there, but that’s because I’m not a cartoonist, I just get drawn by them occasionally. Be sure to read through the comments for KC Green, the Penny Arcade guys, Mitch Clem, John Allison, and more!

• Happy birthday wishes goin’ out today to Superosity (the strip, not creator Chris Crosby, which is eleven years old today) and Howard Tayler (the creator of Schlock Mercenary, not the strip, who’s 10 1/2, given that he was born on 29 February 1968 and the 29th hasn’t yet occurred eleven times since). Superosity has missed like one update out of 4000+, and as far as I know, Howard’s gotten up every day since he was born, which is a pretty amazing unbroken string of updates, matched only by every other early-middle-age dude out there (“Hi”). By the same token, happy 400th stripperversary to Twisted Musings, and sorry that you had to get mentioned the same day as Superosity, which makes everything else look new by comparison.
• No new word on the latest Hot Topic situation, but it’s getting some pretty wide press — The Consumerist is now reporting on the Kawaii Not button case. Seriously, it’s time to hold their feet to the fire and demand better sourcing practices from these bozos. Feel free to let them know how much they suck.
• Finally, a quick bookmark update for y’all — Dirk Tiede’s Paradigm Shift has just launched a new website, so if you’re in the habit of checking WebcomicsNation for it, you’ll want to follow the new link. Particularly if you want into on Tiede’s new book announcement this spring.

The fact that Hot Topic was so quick to remove the ripping-off-Vera-Brosgol shirt is apparently less because they want to be a good corporate citizen, and more because they’re getting so damn much practice. This is 15 hours old because I wasn’t checkin’ email or Twitter last night:

Crap. Hot Topic is selling buttons with my art without my permission. http://bit.ly/bQw8Hl http://bit.ly/aHM7PB

You can punch in those links for proof if you want; I’m not linking to Hot Topic any more, except for pages that allow you to contact people in their corporate structure. People like Jim McGinty, primary contact for Investor Relations at Hot Topic. We need to stop asking Hot Topic what they’re going to do about the theft of single pieces of art, and ask what the hell they’re going to do to ensure that they stop stealing art in the first damn place. Seriously, this requires a change in their business practices, and I think we need to keep pestering until they get that message.